It was a game to forget

Published: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 10:20 a.m.

And there are some you want to dig a hole in the backyard, bury it and never talk about again.

That's the best way to describe the New Orleans Saints' 23-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.

On a night when the defense gave its best performance of the season, the Saints offense looked anything but sharp. In fact, the Saints offense looked inept at times, and a lot of that is because of the play of quarterback Drew Brees.

Every NFL player is bound to have a game that they would like to — as mentioned earlier — dig a hole in the backyard, bury it and never talk about again.

Thursday night was that game for Brees.

Throughout his budding Hall of Fame career, Brees has set records and was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLIV. But the one thing he never did was throw five interceptions in a game.

Unfortunately, that is what he did against the Saints' biggest rival — the Falcons.

Brees struggled to find any kind of rhythm throughout the game, finishing 28-of-50 for 341 yards and the five interceptions. He has thrown seven interceptions in back-to-back losses (Falcons and San Francisco 49ers).

Making matters worse, Brees failed to throw a touchdown, ending his NFL-record streak of 54 consecutive games with a scoring pass.

Losing to the Falcons was tough, but watching Brees' record streak end against the rival Falcons may be even tougher.

But the toughest thing to come out of Thursday's loss was watching the Saints' faint playoff hopes slipping away.

Granted, the Saints were considered a long shot to make the playoffs. They probably needed to win out and hope from a lot of help just to get in.

Thursday's loss didn't seal the Saints' fate, as they are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt. But don't get your hopes up too high, as it will take a near miracle for them to make the playoffs.

The Saints deserve credit for climbing back into the race after an 0-4 start, but that deep of a hole may be too much for any team to overcome. The 1992 San Diego Chargers are the only team in NFL history to accomplish that feat.

This season has proven that the Saints and Brees are not the same without Sean Payton on the sidelines.

Barring any unforeseen events, Payton should be back on the sidelines after serving season-long suspension for the team's bounty scandal.

Until then, all Saints fans must find a way to tolerate this season. But that's not easy, especially with gut-wrenching losses like what happened on Thursday against the Falcons.

Brent St. Germain is sports editor of The Courier and the Daily Comet. He can be reached at 857-2239 or at 448-7600 ext. 2239 or by e-mail at brent.st.germain@houmatoday.com.

<p>You wins some, and you lose some.</p><p>And there are some you want to dig a hole in the backyard, bury it and never talk about again.</p><p>That's the best way to describe the New Orleans Saints' 23-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.</p><p>On a night when the defense gave its best performance of the season, the Saints offense looked anything but sharp. In fact, the Saints offense looked inept at times, and a lot of that is because of the play of quarterback Drew Brees.</p><p>Every NFL player is bound to have a game that they would like to — as mentioned earlier — dig a hole in the backyard, bury it and never talk about again.</p><p>Thursday night was that game for Brees.</p><p>Throughout his budding Hall of Fame career, Brees has set records and was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLIV. But the one thing he never did was throw five interceptions in a game.</p><p>Unfortunately, that is what he did against the Saints' biggest rival — the Falcons.</p><p>Brees struggled to find any kind of rhythm throughout the game, finishing 28-of-50 for 341 yards and the five interceptions. He has thrown seven interceptions in back-to-back losses (Falcons and San Francisco 49ers).</p><p>Making matters worse, Brees failed to throw a touchdown, ending his NFL-record streak of 54 consecutive games with a scoring pass.</p><p>Losing to the Falcons was tough, but watching Brees' record streak end against the rival Falcons may be even tougher.</p><p>But the toughest thing to come out of Thursday's loss was watching the Saints' faint playoff hopes slipping away.</p><p>Granted, the Saints were considered a long shot to make the playoffs. They probably needed to win out and hope from a lot of help just to get in.</p><p>Thursday's loss didn't seal the Saints' fate, as they are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt. But don't get your hopes up too high, as it will take a near miracle for them to make the playoffs.</p><p>The Saints deserve credit for climbing back into the race after an 0-4 start, but that deep of a hole may be too much for any team to overcome. The 1992 San Diego Chargers are the only team in NFL history to accomplish that feat.</p><p>This season has proven that the Saints and Brees are not the same without Sean Payton on the sidelines. </p><p>Barring any unforeseen events, Payton should be back on the sidelines after serving season-long suspension for the team's bounty scandal.</p><p>Until then, all Saints fans must find a way to tolerate this season. But that's not easy, especially with gut-wrenching losses like what happened on Thursday against the Falcons.</p><p>Brent St. Germain is sports editor of The Courier and the Daily Comet. He can be reached at 857-2239 or at 448-7600 ext. 2239 or by e-mail at brent.st.germain@houmatoday.com.</p>